If you are wondering how to reduce inflammation in the body fast, you have to take a two-fold approach. First, you eliminate the foods that cause inflammation and then start eating foods that reduce inflammation.
Before we get into all of the things that cause inflammation in the body, let’s take a look at the definition of inflammation.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a part of the body’s response to injury and infection. At its core, it’s a signal to the body to heal damage and defend itself.
However, sometimes the inflammatory response continues for too long and it becomes chronic inflammation.
But why would inflammation continue?
If the body is constantly exposed to viruses, unhealthy foods, toxins, and allergens without healing properly, this becomes problematic.
This is what causes chronic inflammation that can lead to certain diseases like lupus, heart disease, and even respiratory and reproductive issues.
Many times, the root cause of all of this is the food we eat that cause inflammation, a lack of exercise, and the toxins found in our environment.
The Top Foods That Cause Inflammation
The list of foods that cause inflammation is so long that it’s better to group them into categories. Here are the top 5.
1- Sugars and Syrups
This includes brown sugar, white sugar, high-fructose corn syrups, and any other added artificial syrups. This also includes soda and sweetened drinks.
2- Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbs cause inflammation because they have no fiber, and often have other chemicals added while they were being processed. This category includes processed grains like wheat and rice and anything made with them.
These processed carbs can really increase inflammation in the gut and mess with blood sugar levels.
When it comes on to healing inflammation, you really want to focus on gut health because if you start eating more anti-inflammatory foods and it’s not being digested or absorbed properly, your body won’t heal as quickly.
3- Artificial fats & Oils
Here’s the truth about vegetable oils:
Most vegetable and seed oils are created by using a component of gasoline, called hexane, to extract the oils from the foods.
Not only should this be illegal, but it’s also downright poisonous to our bodies and it increases our risk of inflammation and disease.
Vegetable oils to avoid:
- Corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola or rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, and peanut oil.
In fact, try to stick with natural fat sources such as nuts, avocado, and coconut. Also, use virgin olive oil and virgin coconut oil as much as possible.
4- Processed Foods
Canned and processed foods often have a lot of chemicals that are used to preserve them and give them a better appearance on the shelves. The processing that these foods go through can also make them harmful if you want to reduce inflammation in the body.
Foods like canned meats and processed meats should be limited or avoided completely.
5- Alcohol
Not all alcohol is bad. As a matter of fact, you can consume moderate levels of wine (like those recommended on the Mediterranean Diet) and still be healthy.
However, high amounts of alcohol cause several problems in the body, inflammation being one of them. This is one of the practices that cause ‘leaky gut’ and can cause organ damage.
How to Reduce Inflammation in The Body
You can cure inflammation with natural food.
This is because whole foods are rich with antioxidants and nutrients that are powerhouses when it is time to defend the body and fight disease.
Why are Antioxidants important?
Our bodies need antioxidants to prohibit the effects of free radicals in the body. Both free radicals and antioxidants are made by the body, but the free radicals often outnumber the level of antioxidants.
When this happens, it can cause inflammation, illnesses and chronic disease.
To prevent this from happening, we need to consistently eat more foods with antioxidant properties.
While medication for inflammation is widely available (most doctors recommend antibiotics), they mostly mask the symptoms instead of healing the problem.
If you have been diagnosed with acute inflammation, natural anti-inflammatory foods with antioxidants are the best way to heal your body from the inside out.
Anti Inflammatory Foods List
The foods on this list are the foundation of an effective anti-inflammatory diet.
It includes regular food that you can find at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, and most importantly, it’s made up of natural, whole foods.
The antioxidants and phytonutrients in plants make them good foods to reduce inflammation.
Your anti-inflammatory diet should include these foods:
Green leafy vegetables–
- spinach
- kale
- mustards
- cabbage
- collards
- red cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
Non Starchy vegetables & legumes–
- sweet potatoes
- beets
- carrots
- pumpkin
- zucchini
- green beans
Nuts and beans-
- almonds
- cashews
- walnuts
- pecans
- peanuts
- lentils
- black beans
- chickpeas/garbanzo beans
- other legumes
Fatty Fish–
- salmon
- tuna
- sardines
- mackerel
Fruits-
- strawberries
- cherries
- blueberries
- blackberries
- avocado
- oranges
- watermelon
- tomato
Fats & Oils-
- Avocado oil
- Virgin Olive oil
- Coconut oil
Anti-inflammatory Herbs-
- Tumeric
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cayenne pepper
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Green tea
Anti-inflammatory Superfoods-
- Organic Spirulina Powder
- Hemp seeds
Learn How To Make an Anti-inflammatory Green Juice
Other Lifestyle Changes That Can Reduce Inflammation
You can reduce inflammation in the body with food and exercise, but the environment that you live in can also affect it.
Our bodies are exposed to thousands of chemicals on a daily basis. Some of these chemicals and toxins are found in our personal care products, cleaning products, clothes, and even on furniture.
The best way to reduce exposure to these toxins is to purchase non-toxic personal care products and cleaners for our home.
It will take an investment of resources to reduce every possible thing that causes inflammation, so take one step at a time and start with the things that you eat.
Let’s start with this Anti-Inflammatory Green Smoothie Recipe.
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